TechnicalFree
Generate error codes and messages
Describe what your product does and what can go wrong, and get consistent error codes with plain user messages, developer detail and status codes.
River's Error Code Generator creates consistent, well-structured error codes and messages for your application. You describe what your product does and what can go wrong, and the AI writes an error code for each failure with a user message, a developer message, a suggested HTTP status code and how to resolve it. Perfect for standardizing error handling across your codebase.
Unlike random error messages, we create systematic error handling. The AI understands error code conventions (descriptive codes, actionable messages, appropriate status codes), maintains consistency, and writes messages that help users and developers understand and resolve issues.
This tool is perfect for backend developers building APIs, teams standardizing error handling, technical leads defining error conventions, and projects needing consistent error documentation.
What Makes Error Codes Effective
Error codes succeed when they help diagnose and resolve issues quickly. Effective error codes are descriptive (not just numbers), consistent in format, paired with clear messages, include appropriate HTTP status codes, and provide actionable guidance. Good errors help both users understand what went wrong and developers debug issues efficiently.
How It Works
Specify context
Provide application or API context
AI generates error codes
Our AI creates One consistent error code for each failure you describe
Review and implement
Use in your application error handling
Maintain consistency
Follow patterns for future errors
What You Get
- One consistent error code for each failure you describe
- Clear, user-friendly messages
- Suggested HTTP status codes
- Developer and user messages
- Resolution guidance
- Ready to implement in code
Common questions
What makes a good error message?
A good error message is clear, specific, and actionable: it tells the user what went wrong in plain language, avoids blame and jargon, and explains what to do next. It pairs a stable error code (for developers and logs) with a human-readable message (for users), and never exposes sensitive internal details.
How do you write error messages?
Write error messages by separating the user-facing message from the developer detail: give users a calm, plain-language explanation and a next step, while logging a precise technical message and a stable error code for debugging. Keep wording consistent across your product, be specific about the cause, and tell people how to recover.
Should error codes be numeric or string-based?
String-based codes like USER_NOT_FOUND are more descriptive than numeric codes. They're self-documenting and easier to understand in logs. Numeric codes require looking up meanings. Use descriptive strings for better developer experience.
What's the difference between user messages and developer messages?
User messages are customer-facing (simple, non-technical). Developer messages include technical details (stack traces, variable values). Show users what they can do. Give developers what they need to debug. Separate the two for best experience.
Should I expose internal error details to users?
No. Users get friendly messages. Developers get detailed errors in logs. Never expose database errors, file paths, or stack traces to users. Security risk and poor UX. Log detailed errors, show friendly messages.
Generate error codes and messages
Describe what you need, add any files you have, and your workspace opens with the work already underway.